Lit Fest - Lighthouse Writers Workshop 2026

Does it sometimes seem like your novel is trying to kill you? Have you considered divorcing a story? Me too. Being a writer means coming up against self-doubt. But what if it doesn't have to be so defeating? What if the blank page felt more like an invitation than a cliff? In this gathering we will work through a few exercises designed to bring joy and a sense of possibility and invention so that you and your writing will once again be besties (or at least unlikely to murder each other).

This is the livestream version of this event.

Panelists include: multi-press authors Cynthia Swanson (big press, no press) and Ramona Ausubel (big press, indie press) along with editors Brittany Torres Rivera from Graywolf (indie) and Caroline Bleeke Flatiron/Macmillan (big press)
Traditional publisher, small press, or self publication: how do you determine where your work belongs? Our distinguished panel of industry experts will discuss the pros and cons of publishing with a smaller indie press versus a large one—or even going it alone.
You've signed up for the Livestream version of this panel. If you'd prefer to attend in person, please register here.

In this seminar, we'll explore the challenges of telling true crime stories: from capturing the essence of the cases to managing ethical sensitivity. To understand how masters do it, we will read David Carr, Marcela Turati, Truman Capote, Emmanuel Carrère, Óscar Martínez and others. We'll learn from their techniques on research, structure, and writing.

A seminar for writers, journalists, and true crime enthusiasts. A combination of theory, practice, and discussion under one goal: storytelling with impact, respect for the victims, and writing with precision.

Want to write a book, but don't have a fully fleshed out concept or professional contacts in the publishing industry yet? With IP projects and other book-related content creation, publishers have ideas. They need writers to bring them to life. The same is often true for entrepreneurs, educational institutions, and businesses. Come learn about these lesser-known paths to becoming a traditionally published author, plus how these types of book deals can often be more straightforward, get you paid sooner, and potentially garner more compensation for your services.

Hear readings from members of Lighthouse’s faculty while enjoying some of our Happy Hour offerings.
Our exciting roster:

• Nick Arvin
• Nini Berndt
• Michael J. Henry
• Suzi Q. Smith
• Tiffany Quay Tyson

This is the Livestream version of this event, if you'd like to attend this in-person, click here.

A newer Lit Fest tradition: Colorado Public Radio's "Turn the Page with Colorado Matters" comes to Lighthouse for a live, on-stage recording, this year with our own Rachel Weaver. Pick up her memoir, Dizzy, at the pop-up bookstore, then settle in as Ryan Warner— the most recognizable voice in Denver—does what he does best, this time exploring Rachel's account of a mysterious illness, the medical system that failed to address it, and the life that refused to wait.

This event is livestream. We also have a in-person version of this event.

More on the book:

Rachel Weaver’s novel Point of Direction was named a Top Ten Book To Pick Up Now by Oprah Magazine and won the Willa Cather Award for Fiction. Rachel’s newest book, Dizzy, an “arresting new memoir” according to Maureen Corrigan on NPR’s Fresh Air, published in February of 2026. Her second novel The Last Run, is forthcoming in June 2026 with Lake Union Publishing. Prior to earning her MFA in Writing and Poetics at Naropa University, Rachel worked for the Forest Service in Alaska studying bears, raptors and songbirds. She teaches at Wilkes University and Lighthouse Writers Workshop and holds a CPA in Narrative Medicine from Columbia University.